COMBATING TIP IN JAMAICA: AWARENESS AND EDUCATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 KINGSTON 000228 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAR (BENT) E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: JM ASEC ELAB EAID KWMN KCRM KDEM PHUM SMIG TIP SUBJECT: COMBATING TIP IN JAMAICA: AWARENESS AND EDUCATION REF: A. STATE 265981 ¶B. KIINGSTON 00211 ¶1. Per Ref A request, the following text constitutes Post's ESF-funded anti-trafficking in persons proposal to G/TIP for funding consideration from FY 2005 appropriations (Ref B includes Post's INCLE-funded anti-TIP proposal). This is a joint proposal with Kingston USAID Mission. Please contact Post (see para 23) for clarification and further detail. ¶2. Title of Project: &Combating TIP in Jamaica: Public Awareness and Education8 ¶3. Name of recipient organization / government agency: People,s Action for Community Transformation (PACT) ¶4. Duration of Project: Seven months, June to December 2005 (This is a continuation of an ongoing project funded by USAID from June 2004 to May 2005). Project Summary -------------- ¶5. PACT is a membership-based umbrella organization with a working network of social agencies throughout Jamaica that provides diverse services to young people and their families at the community level. Embassy Kingston and the USAID Mission have worked closely with PACT, other civil society groups, and Government of Jamaica (GOJ) agencies to better understand and respond to human trafficking in Jamaica. Despite an increasing acknowledgment of the issue among certain groups, awareness of a TIP problem in the government and in the public discourse remains low. As part of an ongoing project originally funded from June 8, 2004 to May 31, 2005 by USAID Mission, PACT has generated promising momentum towards fighting TIP in Jamaica, and has established a consultative committee of key players within the GOJ and civil society to protect at-risk youth from falling victim to human trafficking. ¶6. This project will continue PACT,s work to educate vulnerable youth in Jamaica,s tourist and commercial centers about the realities and dangers of the sex trade and TIP. In addition, the project will facilitate the development of a public education program to raise the awareness of the general public, and will produce printed materials for use in the national school curriculum with the support of the Ministry of Education. Through its work to date, PACT is uniquely positioned to design and execute a research project that will be the first to document and quantify the magnitude of Jamaica,s TIP problem. This project will support such a research effort. Project Objectives -------------- ¶7. Based on PACT,s ongoing work with national partners and its deep understanding of the nature of TIP in Jamaica, this project will continue to protect at-risk youth from the dangers of the sex trade through education. The project will be used to raise public awareness of human trafficking, and to integrate TIP education into the national curriculum. PACT will use this expertise and the information it has already gathered to develop a research study to quantify the magnitude of Jamaica,s TIP problem. Project objectives are the following: -- Continue to plan, design, and execute a program of remedial education, literacy, and skills training to approximately 150 young persons, aged 14 to 24 years, who are potential victims of sex trafficking or are already victims. -- Continue to develop and implement a strategy to facilitate the entry or re-entry into the mainstream labor market of at-risk youth -- Develop a public education program to bring to the general public the plight of the young people and the tragedies of the sex trade -- Develop an anti-trafficking curriculum for use by the Ministry of Education; and -- Design a research study to provide much-needed documentary evidence of the nature and extent of human trafficking in Jamaica Project Description -------------- ¶8. PACT is a membership-based umbrella organization with a working network of social agencies throughout Jamaica that provides diverse services to young people and their families at the community level. Under PACT,s leadership, these partner groups have formed a consultative committee and have held monthly meetings since June 2004 to share ideas and to map out a strategic direction for an anti-trafficking program. Each group has targeted local at-risk youths and has recruited them to join literacy, numeracy, and vocational training programs to prepare them for employment as part of a safe and productive workforce. PACT,s team of experienced professionals has managed this project to implement and achieve the following project activities. ¶9. Bureau of Women,s Affairs (BWA): The BWA, a division of the Ministry of Health, is mandated to act as a catalyst within the GOJ to ensure that women,s issues are addressed. By collaborating with PACT, the BWA will integrate a trafficking curriculum into its existing public education program on gender-related issues. The BWA has identified approximately 200 young people who will be involved in group discussions and working sessions over an eight-month period to discuss trafficking. ¶10. Western Society for the Upliftment of Children (WSUC): To recruit program participants, WSUC targeted places of entertainment that employ young people as exotic dancers and sex workers. There are currently 37 at-risk participants enrolled at WSUC in literacy and numeracy training programs and a preventative program of group counseling and health counseling. ¶11. Children First: Children First has enrolled 40 at-risk young people, 15 of whom have been exposed to trafficking, in a youth-friendly health program. The organization also provides skills training in vocational fields including cosmetology, videography, and photography, in addition to basic literacy and numeracy. ¶12. North Street United Church (NSUC): NSUC has registered 25 at-risk youth who are enrolled in a preventative program and are being trained in videography and computer skills. Trained counselors are available to all participants for self-esteem building, peer counseling, motivational talks, and parenting. Jamaica,s Junior Doctors, Association assists NSUC with reproductive health monitoring and a youth-friendly medical clinic. ¶13. Church Action Negril (CAN): CAN has enrolled 26 at-risk young people into a program of counseling, motivational talks, life-coping skills, numeracy, literacy, health monitoring, and computer training. Some CAN participants have gained part-time employment, while others are being trained for national vocational training exams. ¶14. PACT will use the combined expertise of the consultative committee to facilitate the development of both a public awareness campaign and a curriculum for use in Jamaica,s school system. In addition, there is already a substantial body of research that PACT has collected on the subject of trafficking, primarily through intake interviews of each participating young person. PACT intends to analyze this data through a research study that will attempt to understand the magnitude of the TIP problem in Jamaica. ¶15. Sustainability: PACT will integrate this project into its current community development activities to promote sustainability and efficiency, and to maximize technical and financial resources. Project components have already been implemented by partner agencies throughout Jamaica, and have become a part of each organization,s regular programs. Performance Indicators -------------- ¶16. As part of the ongoing evaluation of this project, PACT, Embassy Kingston, and USAID Mission will measure and report performance indicators: -- Produce a TIP information brochure for use by civil society groups; -- Design and implement a public TIP education program using print and electronic media; -- Initiate discussions with the Ministry of Education to introduce trafficking information into the national curriculum; -- Encourage the GOJ to publicly declare its intolerance for human trafficking; and -- Design a research study will to quantify Jamaica,s trafficking problem. Evaluation Plan -------------- ¶17. PACT will be the project manager and will coordinate the implementation of the project activities. As a recipient of USAID funding, PACT is already preparing quarterly reports to monitor the program,s progress. Budget Breakout -------------- ¶18. The estimated total cost to implement this project is US$ 80,000 from June to December 2005. Please see the budget summary below for more details. PERSONNEL Project Coordinator $13,000 Financial Manager $4,500 Statutory Deductions $1,000 Travel $2,000 Per Diem ) Site Visits $1,500 SUPPLIES Training Packages $1,500 Meals and Allowances $8,000 CONTRACTORS Specialist Teachers (4) $10,000 Computer Instruction (4 centers) $6,000 Public Education $7,000 Research $5,500 Coordination Fee $20,000 -------------- TOTAL $80,000 Host Government Contribution -------------- ¶19. The GOJ will actively support the project through the participation of the Bureau of Women,s Affairs, the Child Development Agency (CDA),and the Ministry of Education. BWA will integrate trafficking education into its existing programs to support Jamaican women. The CDA and the Ministry of Education will both work to integrate PACT,s trafficking messages into the national curriculum. Funding Mechanism -------------- ¶20. As in its existing relationship with USAID, PACT will provide overall coordination of the project, and will coordinate all financial reporting, monitoring, and evaluation at quarterly intervals. Funding to the NGO should be in the form of a grant or cooperative agreement. Embassy POC -------------- ¶23. Embassy POC is Geoff Siebengartner, the Political Officer with responsibility for trafficking issues. Contact details are email: siebengartnergc@state.gov; telephone: (876) 935-6086; and fax: (876) 935-6029. COBB